Shadewing's Pride: Three New Faces
Shadewing's story goes on..still! Current Storyline: The Clan has recovered from Flamestar's death, and Shadewing was chosen as deputy. But Shadewing is having Wolfheart's kits, and keeping that a secret is more than enough with the threat of NightClan still looming up ahead.... Enjoy! COMMENT! The cat in the photo is Mintkit! Pride: 1 *One Moon Later Shadewing woke to the soft, downy bedding of the nursery. Beside her was Dovesong, who had moved in two nights ago, expecting Lionwing's kits. Shadewing yawned. I will never get used to this soft bedding. ''She thought. Suddenly, the bramble barrier shuddered as Blossompaw came in holding a rabbit. "Hello, Shadewing! I miss having you as a mentor!" She said brightly, dropping the rabbit. Shadewing looked up. "Why? Isn't Moonfrost a good mentor?" "Yes, but not like you. Moonfrost is a little too...soft." Shadewing laughed, then stopped as pain shot through her belly, which was swollen to maximum. The kits were due any day now, according to Larkwing. "Are you okay, Shadewing?" Blossompaw looked at her face, eyes full of concern. "What? Yes, I'm fine! Thanks for the rabbit, Blossompaw. They're my favorite. Now you'd better get back to your Clanmates." She said while tearing at the rabbit. Blossompaw dipped her head and left. Almost as soon as she was gone, Leafblaze came in. "How's everything going? I heard you'll be having your kits soon." He mewed, sitting down beside her. "Leafblaze! Shouldn't you be organizing the patrols? I didn't put you in charge of my old duties just to have you slacking." She teased. "I already organized a patrol. Besides, I want to be here with you when...it happens." He said simply. Suddenly, a third cat pushed through the barrier. Sunleap. He strode over to her and licked her head. "Hey! How are you? I was worried you might have our kits without me!" He mewed happily. Sunleap had been amazing at pretending to be her mate. If Shadewing hadn't met Wolfheart, she might have settled on Sunleap instead. "Hello, Sunleap. I'm doing good. And don't you dare think you'll be able to skip the kitting, even if I have to hold you down!" Shadewing purred. Suddenly, painful contractions shot through Shadewing's belly. Horror crept up her spine. The kits were coming! Shadewing nudged Leafblaze. "The kits." was all she could get out before another spasm came. In an instant, Leafblaze was out of the nursery. He returned several minutes later, Larkwing and what looked like the whole Clan behind him. Larkwing pushed through cats, followed by Berrypaw. "Out of the way! I need to help with the kitting!" She meowed impatiently. "Berrypaw, get started!" Berrypaw placed a paw on Shadewing's stomach. Suddenly, she yowled out: "The first one is coming!" Another painful spasm rocked Shadewing's body, and a tiny silver and black kit shot out. Larkwing immediately handed it to Leafblaze. "Lick!" She instructed fiercely. "The second one!" Berrypaw announced. This time, a gray tabby came out, which was given to Sunleap. Finally, out came the last one, a fluffy ginger tom. "Two toms and one she-cat!" Larkwing announced proudly, pushing some herbs toward Shadewing. "Here, borage, to help your milk. Congratulations, Shadewing! They're beautiful!" She said joyfully. Shadewing merely nodded, weary from the kitting. She reached her head forward and gobbled down the bitter herbs. The kits had begun to suckle now, kneading her belly with strong paws. All the cats, after congratulating her, had begun to file out. Soon, only Dovesong, Leafblaze, and Sunleap were left. Shadewing looked at the two toms. "Let's each name one." She decided. "This one will be Mintkit." She pointed to the silver and black bundle. "That one," said Leafblaze, pointing to the gray one, "will be Pebblekit." Sunleap looked at the ginger tom. "Foxkit." He mewed quietly. "Congratulations, Shadewing, they're so beautiful." And the two cats left, leaving Shadewing alone with her kits. "Oh Wolfheart," she whispered, "You have three healthy kits. I hope one day you can see them." "You say something, Shadewing?" Dovesong muttered. "No, nothing at all." Shadewing replied. Pride: 2 Two Moons Later "Mother, can I go outside, please?" squeaked Pebblekit, turning his bright yellow eyes on Shadewing. "Yes can we? We want to see the camp!" Foxkit meowed, his blue eyes shining. "Stop bothering her, you two! She'll take us out when we're ready!" Mintkit mewed fiercely, bowling both of them over. Shadewing laughed. Mintkit may be the only girl, but she was more than a match for her brothers. "Alright, settle down you three. I'll take you outside now." She purred at them. Almost instantly they stopped wrestling. "Yay!" They all squealed as they raced outside. Shadewing got up, stretched, then followed them. Foxkit and Pebblekit had gone over to Larkwing's den, while Mintkit explored outside the elders den. Shadewing padded up to her. "Come with me, little one, there's someone I want you to meet." She told the kit, thinking of Leafblaze. "Really? Who?" Mintkit's emerald eyes widened at the words. "Come with me and you'll find out." And the two set off toward the warriors den, where Leafblaze sat, washing. He looked up when he saw them. "Shadewing! Good to see you out of the nursery. Is that Mintkit?" He said brightly. "Hello, Leafblaze. Yes, this is Mintkit. Mintkit, this is Leafblaze, my old mentor." She purred, nudging Mintkit forward. "H - hello! N - nice to meet you!" Mintkit squeaked nervously. Leafblaze laughed. "She's exactly like you when you were kit." He mewed. "Hello, Mintkit." "Mother! Who's that?" Came Foxkit's voice. "Yeah, who is that?" Pebblekit asked. "This is Leafblaze. Now come along, you three, before you wake the whole camp." Shadewing purred. "See you later, Leafblaze." "Bye, Shadewing. I'll tell Sunleap you were out of the nursery today." He called after her as she entered the nursery. The three kits bounded over to the nest, curled up, and were instantly asleep. Shadewing laid down next to them, looking toward the bramble wall. "Four moons, Wolfheart." She whispered. "Then, I will see you again. Then, you can see your beautiful children." One Moon Later "Wake up, Foxkit, he'll be here soon!" Shadewing meowed, nudging the ginger bundle. Foxkit's bright eyes opened. "What's going on?" He muttered, still half-asleep. "Get up, you stupid furball, our father's coming to see us again!" Mintkit squeaked, batting him over the head. In an instant, Foxkit was up and leapt on top of her. She was just about to throw him off when Shadewing pulled them apart. "Settle down, you three! Do you want to look a mess for Sunleap or do you want him to be happy? Now come here and sit down!" She mewed fiercely. The kits padded up and sat down in front of her. Shadewing licked their fur flat, ridding it of moss. Then, she had them turn towards the entrance and watch the warriors come back. "Look, there's Blizzardpelt!" She whispered. "And Lionwing, Stormkit and Tawnykit's father!" She pointed at Dovewing's new kits. Suddenly, a bright golden tom pushed through the barrier. Sunleap. He headed for the nursery. "Here he comes! Pebblekit, sit up straight! Mintkit, stop playing with your tail!" Sunleap entered the nursery and padded up to Shadewing. "Hello, Shadewing. I brought you this." He whispered, dropping a fat vole in front of her. "Hello Mintkit, Foxkit, Pebblekit." He told the three. They sprang up and raced toward him. "Hello, father! It's so good to see you again!" Foxkit squealed. "Yeah, we've missed you!" Mintkit added. Shadewing purred as Sunleap took the three kits out into the camp. Then she began to tear at the vole. "Finally some peace and quiet!" Dovesong exclaimed. Shadewing looked over at her. "They'll be six moons soon. Then you get the nursery all to yourself." She told her quietly. ''Three moons. ''she thought. ''It seems like a million now. Oh, Wolfheart. You'll be so proud. '' Pride: 3 Three moons later "Come on mother, it's time for the ceremony!" A voice shook Shadewing awake. Mintkit, her fur much sleeker and shinier, stood over her, eyes wide. "What? Oh yes, I forgot!" She mewed, springing up. Today was her kits apprentice ceremony. ''Tonight I see Wolfheart again. ''She thought. "Come along you three, it's time!" Shadewing nudged the three kits forward and they left the nursery. Outside, the air was cool and misty. Shadewing and the kits padded beneath the Hightree, where Emberstar sat, his pelt shining. The warriors were gathered below. Leafblaze sat down next to her. "Well, I guess it's time for you to organize patrols now." He purred quietly. "I guess so. The time has flown." She admitted. "Yes, it has. Seems like yesterday when you were a little apprentice yourself." He teased. "Too bad it wasn't." She teased back, nudging him. Then, Emberstar's yowl sounded: "My Clanmates! I welcome you to a very important ritual! It is time for Shadewing's kits to become apprentices!" The cats cheered. "Mintkit, Pebblekit, Foxkit, come here!" He called. The three kits climbed up the Hightree and sat in front of Emberstar. "Mintkit, do you promise to learn the ways of the warrior code?" "I do!" She squeaked. "And do you promise to train and fight hard?" "I do!" "Then by the powers of Skycats, I give you your apprentice name: Mintpaw! Leafblaze, you trained Shadewing , and Rosewind was your mentor. I expect you to teach all you know to this new apprentice." "Of course, Emberstar." Leafblaze mewed. After Mintpaw climbed down, Pebblepaw was given to Blizzardpelt. Foxpaw's mentor was... "It has been a long time since I had an apprentice, so now I will take on Foxpaw!" Emberstar yowled. The cats cheered and called the names of the new apprentices. Blossompaw stepped up to Shadewing. "Will we be training today?" She asked. "Yes. I want to see all Moonfrost has taught you." Shadewing purred, and they left. In the forest, Blossompaw showed Shadewing her new hunting skills, and then they went to Sandy Area for fighting practice. "Attack me." Shadewing instructed, facing her apprentice. Blossompaw crouched, and sprang, aiming for Shadewing's foreleg. Shadewing easily dodged and then rolled her over. "I see Moonfrost hasn't been doing much in fighting. Good try, but you were too obvious. Give it another go." Blossompaw nodded. Again she crouched and sprang, going for Shadewing's exposed body. Shadewing tried to block, but Blossompaw changed course in midair and slammed into Shadewing's legs, knocking her flat. "Excellent! Let's do it again!" Shadewing purred. Her apprentice was a natural fighter. After a long training session the two went back to camp and got fresh-kill. Shadewing looked over at Blossompaw. "You know, Blossompaw. I was thinking tomorrow we would do an assessment for you and Beepaw and then....if you pass you could become a...warrior." She said slowly. Blossompaw looked up. "Really? Thank you Shadewing! You've been a great mentor, even you weren't there that much!" Blossompaw mewed joyfully. Shadewing laughed. "Too bad I wasn't there. You've done great, Blossompaw." The look in Blossompaw's eyes made Shadewing forget all her troubles. ''Oh, Wolfheart. I can't wait to tell you everything. Pride: 4 Shadewing excitedly padded through the dark forest. It was moonhigh, and she was going to see Wolfheart. When she reached the MoonClan border, she spotted his brilliant silver pelt gleaming in the moonlight. "Wolfheart!" She cried, rushing up to him and touching noses. "Hey, Shadewing, how are you? So your kits are apprentices now?" He asked joyfully. "Yes, they're so beautiful, Wolfheart. I have to tell you all about them." The two settled down on the grass, facing eachother. "What are they're names? What do they look like?" Wolfheart asked. "There are two toms and there's one she-cat. One tom looks exactly like you but he has yellow eyes. His name is Pebblekit. Foxkit is bright ginger, and he has blue eyes. And Mintkit looks...just like me. They're all so great. They'll be great warriors someday." "Their mentors?" "Mintkit's mentor is Leafblaze, Pebblekit's is Blizzardpelt, and Foxkit's is Emberstar." She announced proudly. "Really? Emberstar? Gosh, Shadewing, he must really like you." Wolfheart burst out, eyes wide. "Yeah, I guess so. How's MoonClan been?" She asked. "Good. They've stopped being angry at Echostar and I now. But that was because of Nightshine stepping in and telling them they were all going against Skycats by questioning Echostar's leadership, which makes sense. So now that's all fixed up. But, I've just been lonely without you." He admitted. "I've been lonely too. But now I'm out of the nursery, so I'll see you more often. Any more news on DarkClan and StormClan?" "No, nothing. Eaglestar hasn't reported anything either." He told her. "Shadewing, we'd better go. Now that we're both deputies, we can't meet as long anymore. Come back here tomorrow, same time, same place." "Bye, Wolfheart." She mewed. Wolfheart licked her cheek and was gone. Shadewing looked up at the sky. "Will my life ever be normal?" She wondered. Pride: 5 "Wow, Blossompaw and Beepaw. You two will be warriors for sure with all this." Shadewing breathed. The apprentices had just gotten back from their assessment, bringing with them what looked like half the prey in the forest. "Thanks, Shadewing." Blossompaw whispered wearily. "Go and rest for a while. You two look dead on your feet. I'll get the other apprentices to bring this back." The two apprentices nodded and left. Shadewing padded up to her three kits, who were sunning themselves on the Sun Rocks. "Listen up, you three! Blossompaw and Beepaw just got back from their assessment and I need you to help bring back the prey!" She called to them. They scrambled up and were instantly alert. "We'll do it! Where is it?" They said in unison. Shadewing flicked her tail backward. "Next to the camp entrance. Now, go!" And they raced off. Shadewing went up to Emberstar's den. "Emberstar?" She mewed quietly. "Come on in, Shadewing." came Emberstar's voice. Shadewing pushed through the lichen in the den. Emberstar sat on his nest at the back. She dipped her head. "What is it, Shadwing?" He asked. "The apprentices have finished their assessment." "Well, what do you think?" "I- I think both of them should be made warriors." She replied anxiously. There was a pause, Shadewing held her breath. "Very well, let's start the ceremony." "Thank you Emberstar!" She meowed. "I'll go alert the Clan." She said, dipping her head again before going out. When she got outside, she yowled: "Everyone! Come out here! Emberstar has called a meeting!" Instantly cats appeared, and began to gather at Hightree. Emberstar sat above them, gazing down. "Welcome, my Clanmates! It is time for yet another important ceremony! Blossompaw and Beepaw have completed their assessments, and it is time for them to become warriors!" He called down as the cats cheered. "Blossompaw, Beepaw, come up here!" The two apprentices nervously climbed Hightree. Emberstar faced Blossompaw. "Blossompaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code?" "I do!" She replied firmly. "And you do you promise, at the cost of your life, to protect your Clan from harm?" "I do!" "Then by the powers of Skycats, I give you your warrior name! From now on, you will be known as Blossomfoot! FireClan honors your skills and knowledge, and we welcome you as a full warrior now!" Blossomfoot nodded, leapt down, and sat next to Shadewing. "Congratulations!" Shadewing whispered. "Thank you so much, Shadewing, and Moonfrost, for your training." She mewed. "Your welcome." Moonfrost said. Beepaw was named Beestripe, and the Clan was dismissed. As Shadewing settled down in the den, she gazed up at the stars. "Bluestar," she whispered, remembering the she-cat. "Look where I am now. I have moved on, and I am protecting my Clan. Thank you." And she curled up and was instantly asleep.